Author: Hamza Rufai

FORMER Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, has stated that it has become imperative to center intensified regional and international efforts to resolve armed conflicts in the Sahel, warning that persistent insecurity continues to threaten lives, undermine state stability, and impede progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). According to a statement sent to News Point Nigeria by the Special Assistant, Media and Communications to Ambassador Tuggar, Alkasim Abdulkadir, Tuggar who is attending the Oslo Forum, a leading global platform for conflict mediation and peace diplomacy, Ambassador Tuggar emphasized in a press statement that the importance…

THE House of Representatives on Thursday passed a constitutional amendment bill seeking to establish state police across Nigeria, marking a major step in the ongoing effort to reform the country’s security architecture. News Point Nigeria reports that the bill, formally titled “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Provide for the Establishment of State Police and for Related Matters (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026,” was approved during consideration at the Committee of the Whole. It scaled through after lawmakers voted overwhelmingly in its favour, following the presentation of the report by…

A MAJOR step in Nigeria’s efforts to tackle insecurity is expected to be taken Thursday (today) at the National Assembly as the House of Representatives prepares to vote on a proposed constitutional amendment seeking to establish state police across the country. News Point Nigeria reports that the bill is also scheduled for second reading on the floor of the Senate, marking what could become one of the most significant reforms of Nigeria’s security architecture since the return to democratic rule. Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, who is also Chairman of the House Committee on Constitution Review…

THE Senate Committee on Public Accounts has ordered the arrest of Mele Kyari, former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), directing that he be brought before it “dead or alive” over his repeated failure to honour invitations in an ongoing investigation into the company’s finances. News Point Nigeria reports that the decision came as lawmakers intensified scrutiny of NNPCL audit reports covering 2017 to 2023, which reportedly contain unresolved financial entries and discrepancies valued at over ₦210 trillion. The audit queries were submitted to the committee by the office of the Auditor-General for the…

A FIRE outbreak on Wednesday disrupted proceedings at the Senate wing of the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, forcing lawmakers, staff and guests to flee the building before the situation was eventually brought under control. News Point Nigeria reports that the incident occurred at Senate Hearing Room 107 shortly after the Senate Committee on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), chaired by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, concluded the screening of Dr. Zainab Marwa as a member representing the North-East on the commission’s board. Witnesses said smoke suddenly billowed into the hearing room from an attached kitchen section, causing panic among senators,…

THE Senate has passed for second reading two bills seeking to expand the number of judges in the nation’s superior courts as part of efforts to decongest the judiciary and accelerate the dispensation of justice across the country. News Point Nigeria reports that the proposed legislation seeks to increase the number of judges of the Federal High Court from 70 to 90, while also raising the number of Justices of the Court of Appeal from 70 to 110. Leading the debate during plenary on Wednesday, the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, who sponsored the bills, said the measures were aimed…

THE Senate has called on the Federal Government to urgently ban the importation of foreign textile materials into Nigeria as part of efforts to stimulate local cotton production and revive the country’s moribund textile industries. News Point Nigeria reports that the Lawmakers argued that restricting textile imports would help strengthen domestic manufacturing, support local farmers and restore the once-thriving textile sector, particularly in the Kaduna-Kano industrial corridor. The Upper Chamber also urged the Federal Government, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Trade and Investment to take immediate steps to revive textile industries across the country. According to the…

THE house of representatives has summoned the service chiefs and Nuhu Ribadu, national security adviser (NSA), to appear before the parliament over the rising incidents of insecurity across the country. News Point Nigeria reports that the green chamber passed the resolution during Tuesday’s plenary following the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Sulaiman Gumi, lawmaker representing Gummi/Bukkuyum federal constituency in Zamfara state. The service chiefs are Olufemi Oluyede, chief of defence staff; Waidi Shaibu, chief of army staff; Idi Abbas, chief of naval staff; and Sunday Aneke, chief of air staff. The legislators also summoned Adeola…

THE House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has recovered N521.8 million in unremitted Value Added Tax (VAT) from the Central Bank of Nigeria as part of its ongoing investigation into alleged revenue leakages associated with transactions conducted through the Remita platform. News Point Nigeria reports that the committee said the recovery followed an extensive probe into revenue remittances and compliance with financial regulations by agencies involved in the operation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) system. According to the panel, the investigation was initiated following a resolution of the House of Representatives after lawmakers adopted a motion calling for…

SENATE President Godswill Akpabio has said that while legislative oversight remains a constitutional responsibility of the National Assembly, this is not the appropriate time for a public probe of the military due to the ongoing security challenges confronting the country. News Point Nigeria reports that the Akpabio stated that subjecting the Armed Forces to a public legislative investigation at a time when troops are engaged in the fight against terrorism, banditry and other security threats across Nigeria could undermine their morale and operational effectiveness. The clarification was contained in a statement issued on Saturday by his Special Adviser on Media…

THE Senate has promised to expedite action on the constitutional framework for the establishment of state police amid rising insecurity, banditry and abductions across the country. News Point Nigeria reports that the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Yemi Adaramodu, disclosed this in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, assuring Nigerians that the Red Chamber was committed to fast-tracking legislative processes aimed at strengthening the nation’s security architecture. According to him, the Senate is prepared to accelerate the constitutional amendment process required to pave the way for state policing as part of broader efforts to address worsening…

THE Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned until June 15, 2026, for ruling on an application filed by former presidential candidate of the Action Alliance Congress, Omoyele Sowore, seeking the recusal of Justice Mohammed Umar from his ongoing trial. News Point Nigeria reports that Justice Mohammed Umar fixed the date after hearing arguments from Sowore and the prosecution during proceedings on the matter. At the hearing, Sowore informed the court that he would represent himself for the time being pending the engagement of a new lawyer or the reconstitution of his legal team. “My lawyers said they are afraid…

THE Federal Government has assured Nigerians that efforts are underway to secure the release of pupils and teachers abducted in Oyo and Borno states, describing their safe return as a top national priority while reaffirming its determination to defeat terrorism across the country. News Point Nigeria reports that the government said security agencies are deploying all lawful measures available to rescue those currently in captivity and ensure that the perpetrators of the attacks are brought to justice. The assurance comes amid growing concern over the abduction of at least 82 pupils between May 13 and May 15 during separate attacks…

A HEATED dispute over the leadership of the opposition caucus disrupted proceedings in the House of Representatives on Thursday as lawmakers engaged in a public confrontation over allegations of forgery and attempts to influence the race for the position of Minority Leader. News Point Nigeria reports that the drama unfolded during plenary when the member representing Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency of Benue State, Hon. Philip Agbese, raised a matter of personal privilege and accused fellow lawmaker, Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere, of using his signature without authorisation in a document purportedly nominating him for the office of Minority Leader. Agbese told the House…

THE Senate has passed for third reading a bill seeking the establishment of the National Agency for Malaria Elimination, aimed at coordinating efforts to prevent, control, and eventually eradicate malaria in Nigeria. News Point Nigeria reports that the bill, sponsored by Senator Ned Nwoko (Delta North), was passed following the consideration and adoption of a report by the Senate Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary), chaired by Senator Ipalibo Harry Banigo (Rivers West). According to the committee, the proposed agency will coordinate national malaria elimination programmes and shift the country’s response from treatment-focused interventions to prevention and eradication strategies. The…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu is scheduled to address a joint session of the National Assembly on June 12 as part of activities lined up to commemorate this year’s Democracy Day celebration. News Point Nigeria reports that the presidential address will headline a series of official events approved by the Federal Government for the 2026 Democracy Day observance, according to the Inter-Ministerial Committee inaugurated on Tuesday to coordinate activities across the country. Other programmes slated for the celebration include a World Press Conference on June 4, special Juma’at prayers on June 5, an inter-denominational church service on June 7, a Democracy Day…

THE Nigerian Army has rescued 23 passengers abducted by suspected bandits along the Ayegunle–Bunu Road in Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State. In a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Tuesday, the Army said the operation was launched following a distress call received at about 3:30 a.m., prompting troops to immediately commence a counter-kidnapping mission in the area. According to the statement, the attackers had blocked the highway and seized several travellers before security operatives arrived at the scene. “Although the kidnappers had fled before the arrival of security forces, troops swiftly initiated an aggressive pursuit along the…

THE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has redeployed its four Deputy Governors in a management reshuffle aimed at strengthening the institution’s leadership structure and improving operational efficiency. News Point Nigeria reports that the changes, which took effect on June 1, 2026, were reflected in an updated profile published on the apex bank’s official website on Monday. Under the new arrangement, the Deputy Governor in charge of Economic Policy, Dr. Muhammad Abdullahi, has been reassigned to the Corporate Services Directorate. Taking over from him at the Economic Policy Directorate is Mr. Philip Ikeazor, who will now oversee one of the bank’s…

THE former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has responded to recent remarks by former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, insisting that the latter once benefited from his political mentorship and support during the early stages of his career. News  Point Nigeria reports that Ganduje, who is currently in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage, made the clarification in a statement issued on Friday by his Chief of Staff, Comrade Muhammad Garba. The statement was a direct response to Kwankwaso’s recent comment in which he reportedly said, “Even Ganduje was once my boy,”…

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has transferred Saleh Mamman, a former Minister of Power who was recently convicted, to the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja. News Point Nigeria reports that Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday ordered Mamman’s transfer to the correctional facility following proceedings in the case involving the former minister. Recall that on May 7, Mamman was convicted on all 12 counts preferred against him by the EFCC and subsequently sentenced in absentia to 75 years imprisonment. The former minister received seven years imprisonment each on 10 counts, while he…